"...Umno veteran Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said Malaysians, especially those born after Merdeka (Independence) should refrain from questioning matters ENSHRINED in the Social Contract entered into by the various races in the country, which also forms the pillar of the Federal Constitution..
He said the contract was agreed to by the nation's earlier leaders and any attempt to try and change it would only have adverse repercussions to national unity.
"If it (social contract) is to be revamped, I predict the nation will descend into chaos," he said at a special Merdeka Forum organised by the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and National Writers Association (Gapena) at Rumah Gapena.
[Note by Malaysian Unplug: The REAL history is that the independence of the nation called Malaya (then) was forged through a consensus made by the leaders of the various ethnic communities. And that understanding and/or consensus which took place between these leaders was ENSHRINED in a WRITTEN document called the FEDERAL CONSTITUTION. The BASIS of that consensus and which is to be complied by future generations of Malaysians is articled in the Federal Constitution, and NO WHERE else.
The so-called "Social Contract" often quoted by UMNO (which does not exist in any formal or written form) does NOT, CANNOT and should NOT over-ride the supremacy of the Federal Constitution in any form or manner.) What every Malaysian needs to only know instinctively is that it is FROM the Federal Constitution, NOT from some conversations or from latter-day recollections of personalities, that the birth and the foundation of our nation was established. -Malaysian Unplug]
The Straits Times(Singapore) reported: (Read here for more)
The Energy, Water and Communications Minister Dr. Lim Keng Yaik said the Malaysian social contract should NOT be used by one race to BULLY another.
He said neither should it be used to get away with issues that has NOTHING to do with the historical arrangement.
In an interview, Dr. Lim said:
"(People cannot say) 'You have been given citizenship, shut up and get on with life'. My father can take it, I can take it (such statements).
But my children and grandchildren CANNOT take it."
The social contract is (only ) an UNDERSTANDING forged by Malaysia's founding fathers that has held the country's different races together over the past 50 years.
In the days leading to the nation's independence, a consensus was reached among the indigenous Malays and the large number of Chinese and Indian immigrants who had made the then Malaya their homes.
In a quid pro quo arrangement, the Chinese and Indians were granted citizenship but the Malays were accorded special rights, including political and administrative authority.
Datuk Seri Lim said Malaysians should try to understand the social contract better. This is to ensure that government policies are NOT one-sided or discriminate against any particular groups.
Over the years, politicians have used the social contract as a front to muzzle disquiet over issues like the pro-Malay economic policies.
For example, during the Umno general assembly each year, delegates would call for the government to uphold Malay rights, including dishing out more contracts to Malay-controlled businesses.
Those unhappy with Umno's demands - particularly the non-Malays - were told that such preferential treatment should not be questioned as they were part of the social contract.
'I wasn't questioning the social contract. I said don't use it to bully people and stop them from talking,' said the veteran politician who first served as minister at the age of 32 in the 1970s.
Datuk Seri Lim, now adviser to Chinese-dominated Gerakan, has carved a reputation for speaking his mind.
And the outspoken leader's plans next? He will be helming a proposed National Dialogue Initiative under Gerakan, where sensitive issues will be discussed behind closed doors.
'Rest assured, I will continue to speak up.'
Commentary on the Social Contract
- Read here: "Our 'Social Contract' is a Lie"
- Read here article "Historically Speaking,There is NO Social Contract on Malay Supremacy (Ketuanan Melayu)"
"....(Some) argued that there was a Social CONTRACT giving non-Malays citizenship in return for Malay supremacy.
But where is this in the Constitution? It simply is NOT there!
I challenge anyone to look and find references to a "Social Contract" or explicit trade in historical sources.
There is NO quid pro quo deal.
The fact that virtually none of the other sources I have read discuss such a trade indicates that if there was such a trade, it was struck privately between Alliance leaders and NEVER made public.
As far as the common man was concerned, there was NO 'Social Contract'....."
Read here for more
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